Acts 25:1-12<\/b>\u00a0–\u00a0<\/i>Three days after arriving in the province, Festus went up\u00a0from Caesarea\u00a0to Jerusalem,\u00a02\u00a0where the chief priests and the Jewish leaders appeared before him and presented the charges against Paul.\u00a03\u00a0They requested Festus, as a favor to them, to have Paul transferred to Jerusalem, for they were preparing an ambush to kill him along the way.\u00a04\u00a0Festus answered, \u201cPaul is being held\u00a0at Caesarea,\u00a0and I myself am going there soon.\u00a05\u00a0Let some of your leaders come with me, and if the man has done anything wrong, they can press charges against him there.\u201d\u00a0\u00a06\u00a0After spending eight or ten days with them, Festus went down to Caesarea. The next day he convened the court\u00a0and ordered that Paul be brought before him.\u00a07\u00a0When Paul came in, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him. They brought many serious charges against him,\u00a0but they could not prove them.\u00a0\u00a08\u00a0Then Paul made his defense: \u201cI have done nothing wrong against the Jewish law or against the temple\u00a0or against Caesar.\u201d\u00a0\u00a09\u00a0Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favor,\u00a0said to Paul, \u201cAre you willing to go up to Jerusalem and stand trial before me there on these charges?\u201d\u00a0\u00a010\u00a0Paul answered: \u201cI am now standing before Caesar\u2019s court, where I ought to be tried. I have not done any wrong to the Jews,\u00a0as you yourself know very well.\u00a011\u00a0If, however, I am guilty of doing anything deserving death, I do not refuse to die. But if the charges brought against me by these Jews are not true, no one has the right to hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar!\u201d\u00a0\u00a012\u00a0After Festus had conferred with his council, he declared: \u201cYou have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you will go!\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201c<\/span>Three days after arriving in the province, Festus went up\u00a0from Caesarea\u00a0to Jerusalem,\u00a02\u00a0where the chief priests and the Jewish leaders appeared before him and presented the charges against Paul.<\/i>\u00a0\u00a0Soon after arriving in the province Festus was to be in charge over, he went to Jerusalem.\u00a0\u00a0He was surely informed that the Jews made up most of the populace and Jerusalem was where their leadership was seated.\u00a0\u00a0He was wisely going to visit them and hopefully get things off to a good start.\u00a0\u00a0He would have been advised how troublesome the Jews could be.<\/p>\n The Jews wasted no time in bringing up Paul whom they had obviously been seething over for two years.\u00a0\u00a0He was one of the first things they brought up to the new governor, if not, in fact, the first thing.\u00a0\u00a0It would seem that their anger would have diminished, but it does not appear so.\u00a0\u00a0They truly hated Paul.<\/p>\n \u201cThey requested Festus, as a favor to them, to have Paul transferred to Jerusalem, for they were preparing an ambush to kill him along the way.<\/i>\u201d\u00a0\u00a0Again they were proposing false reasons to move Paul.\u00a0\u00a0Again their motive was murder.\u00a0\u00a0(Act 23:12-15<\/b>)\u00a0\u00a0They were so obsessed with killing Paul that they were willing to lie to the new governor, and thereby risk his wrath, in order to murder Paul.\u00a0\u00a0Wow, understanding the ability to hate like that brings deeper meaning to why Jesus taught\u00a0Matthew 5:21-22, 43-48<\/b>.\u00a0\u00a0Yet, we still see the great need for the teaching in our times.\u00a0\u00a0Most will agree that hate is an ugly thing, but it is still too easy to find a way to excuse ourselves for having it.<\/p>\n \u201cFestus answered, \u201cPaul is being held\u00a0at Caesarea,\u00a0and I myself am going there soon.<\/i>\u201d\u00a0\u00a0There are a reasons why Festus may have denied the request of the Jewish leaders.\u00a0\u00a0One is that he was not planning on being in Jerusalem for a prolonged period and so it seemed rushed to try to send for Paul to be brought to Jerusalem.\u00a0\u00a0Also Festus had plans for his visit in Jerusalem and bringing Paul was obviously not one of them, or he would have brought Paul.\u00a0\u00a0And also very possibly Festus may have heard how the Jews had formerly plotted to kill Paul and, Paul being a Roman citizen, it was his duty to not allow Paul to be murdered, especially while under his protection.\u00a0\u00a0Additionally Festus was about seventy years old.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0It is said that he was, comparatively speaking, a good governor over the land.\u00a0\u00a0He was likely a wise man and could see the problems bringing Paul to Jerusalem would bring about.\u00a0\u00a0Also, he may have just seen through their lies.<\/p>\n \u201cLet some of your leaders come with me, and if the man has done anything wrong, they can press charges against him there.\u201d\u00a0\u00a06\u00a0After spending eight or ten days with them, Festus went down to Caesarea. The next day he convened the court\u00a0and ordered that Paul be brought before him.<\/i>\u201d\u00a0\u00a0The wise new governor did not deny them without offering them something to let them know that he had not dismissed their wishes, but he had his plans and he would agree to a trial of Paul under his conditions.\u00a0\u00a0Festus was the one in power, and though he wanted to respect the Jewish leadership, it was he and not they who were in charge.<\/p>\n True to his word, the day after traveling sixty miles back to Caesarea, he called Paul to be brought before him as he sat on the judgement seat.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Festus held an official investigation and called Paul before the \u201cbema\u201d seat.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The bema seat was a place of judgement.\u00a0\u00a0However the judgements could be one of punishment or of rewards.\u00a0\u00a0In this case, as in modern day courts, Paul was called to determine if he was guilty of a crime.\u00a0\u00a0In this case, a crime against Rome.<\/p>\n The Bema seat was a seat of judgment for crimes or a seat of judgement in an athletic event.\u00a0\u00a0At the end of the time of the world as we know it every person who has lived on earth will face a judgment.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0However, there is a different judgment for an unbeliever as opposed to a believer.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The unbeliever will stand before God and be judged for their sins.\u00a0\u00a0For the unbeliever (not a follower of Jesus), who trusted in their own righteousness rather than trusting in the righteousness of Jesus to save, they will, in the end, be thrown into the Lake of Fire.\u00a0\u00a0Their punishment will be eternal and unchanging.<\/p>\n The Bema seat of Christ is what lovers of Jesus will face.\u00a0\u00a0It is not a judgment of punishment but of rewards.\u00a0\u00a0Like a judge or official who awards first, second or third place we will not be sentenced for our sins because they have been washed away by the blood of Christ.\u00a0\u00a0Instead we will receive the award for what we have done, after coming to the Lord, to glorify Jesus.\u00a0\u00a02 Corinthians 5:10<\/b>\u00a0\u201cFor we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The Word is clear that there is no condemnation for those in Christ,\u00a0Romans 8:1-2<\/b>\u00a0\u201cTherefore, there is not condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.<\/i>\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0It is therefore the reason that those who love and obey Jesus have an eternal hope of blessings for eternity with God.\u00a0\u00a0Let us, as Paul wrote, be able to say\u00a0\u201cI have fought\u00a0the\u00a0good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept\u00a0the\u00a0faith.<\/i>\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0We know that whatever we endure in faith in God on this earth, whatever hardship or trial, it all amounts to nothing compared to the sure future we have in Jesus Christ our Lord.\u00a0\u00a02 Corinthians 4:16-18<\/b>\u00a0\u201cTherefore we do not lose heart.\u00a0Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly\u00a0we are being renewed\u00a0day by day.\u00a017\u00a0For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.\u00a018\u00a0So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen,\u00a0since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.<\/i>\u201d\u00a0\u00a0Paul stood before a human court, but he looked forward to standing before Jesus and receiving judgment from Him.\u00a0\u00a0A judgment of rewards.\u00a0\u00a0And so do we!\u00a0\u00a0Innocent people look forward to redemption, and innocent is what we are because of what Jesus did for us.\u00a0\u00a0We are innocent!\u00a0\u00a0Praise God!\u00a0\u00a0Praise God!<\/p>\n P<\/b><\/span>salm 150:6<\/b>\u00a0–\u00a0Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.\u00a0 Praise the Lord!<\/p>\n Micah 7:7<\/b>\u00a0–\u00a0But as for me, I watch\u00a0in hope\u00a0for the\u00a0Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear\u00a0me.<\/p>\n Micah 6:8<\/b>\u00a0–\u00a0He has shown You, O man, what\u00a0is\u00a0good; and what does the\u00a0Lord\u00a0require of You but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with Your God.<\/p>\n Numbers 6:24-26<\/b>\u00a0\u201cThe\u00a0Lord\u00a0bless you and keep you; 25\u00a0the\u00a0Lord\u00a0make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26\u00a0the\u00a0Lord\u00a0turn His face\u00a0toward you and give you peace.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Acts 25:1-12\u00a0–\u00a0Three days after arriving in the province, Festus went up\u00a0from Caesarea\u00a0to Jerusalem,\u00a02\u00a0where the chief priests and the Jewish leaders appeared before him and presented the charges against Paul.\u00a03\u00a0They requested Festus, as a favor to them, to have Paul transferred to Jerusalem, for they were preparing an ambush to kill him along the way.\u00a04\u00a0Festus answered,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1192],"tags":[82,129,101,94,1874,17,10],"class_list":["post-2098","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-devotion","tag-acts","tag-corinthians","tag-matthew","tag-micah","tag-numbers","tag-psalm","tag-romans"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2098","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2098"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2098\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2099,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2098\/revisions\/2099"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2098"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2098"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2098"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}